Tuning peg

ABSTRACT

A relatively small and light piston like tuning peg in which the string to be tuned or tensioned, is secured to the piston, said piston being slidably keyed inside a cup-like cylindrical housing, said piston being lengthwise movable inside said housing by a fixed rotary screw, movement of said piston on said screw having zero backlash.

United States Patent Lowe Aug. 20, 1974 TUNING PEG 1,713,002 5 1929 Oettinger 84/304 [76] Inventor: Charles Thomas Lowe, 5165 Torrey Rd., Flint, Mich. 48507 22 Filed: Apr. 10, 1973 211 Appl. No; 349,831

52 us. c1. 84/304 511 Int. Cl. Gl0d 3/14 [58] Field of Search 914/304-3306 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,577,245 3/1926 Bua 84/304 1,580,667 4/1926 Hanson 84/304 Primary ExaminerLawrence R. Franklin Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Woodhams, Blanchard and Flynn [5 7 ABSTRACT 10 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures TUNING PEG This invention relates to a device (s) for tuning or tensioning the string(s) of a musical instrument such as, for example, a guitar, and more particularly has reference to a piston like device which tunes the string by linear movement rather than the conventional rotary movement. 7

The objects of the invention are:

First, to provide a string tensioning means which is extremely simple, easy to fabricate, and relatively small and light.

Second, to provide a string tensioning means which gives fine to ultrafine tuning depending on the threads per inch of the tuning screw.

Third, to provide a string tensioning means which allows the excess string to be broken off without the need for auxiliary equipment such as a wire cutter.

The above objectives are accomplished by providing a piston like tuning device comprising a cup like cylindrical housing. A screw passes through a hole in the base, or bottom, of said housing and is held against lengthwise movement by an enlarged portion of screw, engaging the outer end of said housing. A piston is slidably keyed inside the housing and has a centrally threaded hole that mates with said screw. A hole, a reduced segment of the piston, a groove on a top diameter and a groove on a top radius of piston, and a flattened portion of the reduced segment, in combination, allow a string to be secured to said piston.

In operation a string is secured to the piston. The operator wing is manipulated by a thumb and forefinger, thereby rotating the screw. Rotation of the fixed screw causes the piston to slide along the axis of the screw and the string is stretched to the desired tension, and is thereby tuned.

Further advantages and economies of the piston tuning peg will become clear from the following detailed description, with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a wide view of the invention mounted on a section of the peghead of a musical instrument.

FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view of the invention showing a string secured to the piston in readiness to be tuned.

FIG. 3 is a partial cross sectional view of the invention showing a string secured to the piston and tensioned.

FIG. 4 is a top view of the invention showing a string secured to the piston with excess string remaining.

FIG. 5 is a top view of the invention showing a string secured to the piston, having the excess of string broken off.

The cylindrical housing 1, preferably made of metal, has an outwardly projected annular shoulder 2 at the top designed to mount against the musical instrument peghead 3. The pinpoint protrusion 4 on the underside of shoulder 2 pierces the peghead 3 and prevents rotational movement between the housing 1 and the peghead 3. The rounded off edge 5 of the inside top of housing 1 allows the string 6 to be slidably bent thereover when tensioned. The bottom end of housing 1 is reduced in size and is externally threaded. A keyway 7 is cut through the wall of housing 1 and extends lengthwise from underneath shoulder 2 to the bottom reduced portion of housing 1.

The threaded inside of the cap 8 mates with the threads on the bottom portion of housing 1, and allows the outwardly projected shoulder 9 of cap 8 to be screwed up against the bottom of peghead 3. On the axis of cap 8 a hole 10 is provided therethrough.

Inside the cylindrical housing 1 is a spool like piston 1 1, preferably made of metal. On a radius of the middle segment of the piston -11 is a hole that accepts one end of the key 12. The other end of key 12 mates in the keyway 7 allowing the piston l1 to slide lengthwise. Near the bottom of the upper reduced segment and on a diameter of the piston 11 is a hole 13 through which the string 6 passes in the first string-securing operation. The string is then wound around the upper reduced segment of the piston 11 one or more times and further and finally secured in the groove 14 on a top diameter of piston 11. A groove 15 is also provided on a top radius of piston 11 to be used for securing a small diameter string 6 by having said string bend into said groove. On the side of the upper top segment of piston 11 a cutaway 16 is provided. Cutaway 16 allows string 6 to be bent upward and passed into groove 14 with ease. A flat 17 is milled on the, side of the upper reduced segment of thepiston 11 so that the wound portion of string 6 will clear the portion of string 6 between the hole 13 and the rounded off edge 5. Thepiston 11 also has a U-shape groove 18 on the side of the top segment parallel with the longitudional axis for clearing the string 6 as it bends over the rounded off edge 5 see FIG. 3). The lower reduced segment of piston 11 has a centrally threaded hole 19.

The operator wing 20, preferably made of plastic, is attached to the tuning screw 21. Screw 21 passes through the hole 10 in cap 8 and mates with hole 19 of the piston 11. The threads per inch of tuning screw 21 gives the desired degree of tuning such as coarse, fine, or ultrafine.

To mount, the cylindrical housing 1 is pushed downward through hole 22 in the peghead 3 and the pinpoint protrusion 4 is embedded in the peghead 3 to prevent rotation. Then the shoulder 9 of the cap 8 is screwed up against the bottom of peghead 3 and separately or simultaneously the tuning screw 21 is mated with the piston hole 19.

In operation, a string 6 is run through the hole 13 in piston 11 (see FIG. 2). Said string is then wrapped around the upper reduced segment of piston 11 one or more times and finally secured in the groove 14 (see FIG. 2 and FIG. 4). Thereon the excess of string 6 is broken off by being moved back and forth against the end, or shoulder, of groove 14 (see FIG. 5). Then the operator wing 20 is rotated by the thumb and forefinger causing the tuning screw 21 to rotate. The tuning screw 21 pulls the piston 11 downward tensioning the string (see FIG. 3). The string is tuned.

Having thus described my invention 1 claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1.' A tuning peg, comprising:

a cylindrical housing adapted to be fixedly disposed in an opening in the peghead of a stringed musical instrument, said housing having an elongated central chamber which is open at its outer end and which has a bottom wall at the opposite end thereof, said housing having an elongated keyway in the sidewall of said chamber;

a piston slidably disposed in said chamber and having a key projecting into said keyway so that said piston can be moved lengthwise in said chamber and is held against rotation, said piston having inner and outer spaced-apart enlarged heads for slidably engaging the internal sidewall of said chamber and also having a portion of reduced diameter between said heads, said portion having a transverse hole therethrough adjacent said inner head for receiving a string of the musical instrument, said outer head having slot means for receiving said string whereby an end of said string can be extended through said hole, wrapped around said reduced diameter portion and then disposed in said slot means whereby to secure said string to said piston;

said piston having an inner end portion extending through an opening in the bottom wall of said chamber;

a tuning screw threadedly engaged with said inner end portion of said piston, said tuning screw being supported for rotation relative to said housing but being held against lengthwise movement relative thereto whereby rotation of said tuning screw moves said piston lengthwise in said central chamber of said housing to tune said string.

2. A tuning peg according to claim 1, in which said housing has an outwardly projecting flange at its outer end adapted to engage one surface of said peghead and over which the string can pass, said outer head of said piston having an axially extending groove in its periphery for receiving the string so that when said outer head is disposed in said central chamber, the string will extend through said groove.

3. A tuning peg according to claim 2, in which said cylindrical housing has a threaded portion projecting axially from the bottom wall of said chamber, a cap threadedly engaged with said threaded portion and having an outwardly projecting flange adapted to abut against the opposite surface of said peghead whereby said cylindrical housing can be clamped to said peghead,'said tuning screw being supported on said cap for rotation with respect thereto.

4. A tuning peg according to claim 3, in which said piston has an axially extending internally threaded opening and said tuning screw is externally threaded and is threadedly engaged in said threaded opening.

5. A tuning peg according to claim 4, wherein said slot means in said outer head comprises a slot extending perpendicular to said transverse hole in said reduced diameter portion of said piston.

6. A tuning peg, comprising:

a hollow housing adapted to be fixedly disposed in an opening in the peghead of a stringed musical instrument, said housing having an elongated central chamber which is open at its outer end;

a rod slidably disposed in said chamber, said housing and said rod having cooperating key and keyway means so that said rod can be moved lengthwise in said chamber and is held against rotation therein, said rod having inner and outer spaced-apart enlarged portions for slidably engaging the internal sidewall of said chamber and also having an intermediate portion of reduced diameter between said inner and outer portions, said intermediate portion having a transverse hole therethrough adjacent said inner portion for receiving a string of the musical instrument, said outer portion having slot means for receiving said string whereby an end of said string can be extended through said hole, wrapped around said intermediate portion and then disposed in said slot means whereby to secure said string to said rod;

a tuning screw threadedly engaged with said inner portion of said rod, said tuning screw being supported for rotation relative to said housing but being held against lengthwise movement relative thereto whereby rotation of said tuning screw moves said rod lengthwise in said central chamber of said housing to tune said string.

7. A tuning peg according to claim 6, in which the edge of the upper end of said chamber has a smoothly rounded portion to facilitate bending of the string as it enters said chamber.

8. A tuning peg according to claim 6, in which said housing has an outwardly projecting flange at its outer end adapted to engage one surface of said peghead and over which the string can pass, said flange having at least one pinpoint protrusion for penetrating the peghead to prevent rotational movement between said housing and said peghead, said outer portion of said rod having an axially extending groove in its periphery for receiving the string so that when said outer portion is disposed in said central chamber, the string will extend through said groove.

9. A tuning peg according to claim 6, in which said slot means in said outer portion comprises a first slot extending substantially perpendicular to said transverse hole and a second slot extending substantially perpendicular to said first slot.

10. A tuning peg according to claim 6, in which said intermediate portion has an axially extending flat wall spaced from the wall of said chamber a distance greater than two thicknesses of the string. 

1. A tuning peg, comprising: a cylindrical housing adapted to be fixedly disposed in an opening in the peghead of a stringed musical instrument, said housing having an elongated central chamber which is open at its outer end and which has a bottom wall at the opposite end thereof, said housing having an elongated keyway in the sidewall of said chamber; a piston slidably disposed in said chamber and having a key projecting into said keyway so that said piston can be moved lengthwise in said chamber and is held against rotation, said piston having inner and outer spaced-apart enlarged heads for slidably engaging the internal sidewall of said chamber and also having a portion of reduced diameter between said heads, said portion having a transverse hole therethrough adjacent said inner head for receiving a string of the musical instrument, said outer head having slot means for receiving said string whereby an end of said string can be extended through said hole, wrapped around said reduced diameter portion and then disposed in said slot means whereby to secure said string to said piston; said piston having an inner end portion extending through an opening in the bottom wall of said chamber; a tuning screw threadedly engaged with said inner end portion of said piston, said tuning screw being supported for rotation relative to said housing but being held against lengthwise movement relative thereto whereby rotation of said tuning screw moves said piston lengthwise in said central chamber of said housing to tune said string.
 2. A tuning peg according to claim 1, in which said housing has an outwardly projecting flange at its outer end adapted to engage one surface of said peghead and over which the string can pass, said outer head of said piston having an axially extending groove in its periphery for receiving the string so that when said outer head is disposed in said central chamber, the string will extend through said groove.
 3. A tuning peg according to claim 2, in which said cylindrical housing has a threaded portion projecting axially from the bottom wall of said chamber, a cap threadedly engaged with said threaded portion and having an outwardly projecting flange adapted to abut against the opposite surface of said peghead whereby said cylindrical housing can be clamped to said peghead, said tuning screw being supported on said cap for rotation with respect thereto.
 4. A tuning peg according to claim 3, in which said piston has an axially extending internally threaded opening and said tuning screw is externally threaded and is threadedly engaged in said threaded opening.
 5. A tuning peg according to claim 4, wherein said slot means in said outer head comprises a slot extending perpendicular to said transverse hole in said reduced diameter portion of said piston.
 6. A tuning peg, comprising: a hollow housing adapted to be fixedly disposed in an opening in the peghead of a stringed musical instrument, said housing having an elongated central chamber which is open at its outer end; a rod slidably disposed in said chamber, said housing and said rod having cooperating key and keyway means so that said rod can be moved lengthwise in said chamber and is held against rotation therein, said rod having inner and outer spaced-apart enlarged portions for slidably engaging the internal sidewall of said chamber and also having an intermediate portion of reduced diameter between said inner and outer portions, said intermediate portion having a transverse hole therethrough adjacent said inner portion for receiving a string of the musical instrument, said outer portion having slot means for receiving said string whereby an end of said string can be extended through said hole, wrapped around said intermediate portion and then disposed in said slot means whereby to secure said string to said rod; a tuning screw threadedly engaged with said inner portion of said rod, said tuning screw being supported for rotation relative to said housing but being held against lengthwise movement relative thereto whereby rotation of said tuning screw moves said rod lengthwise in said central chamber of said housing to tune said string.
 7. A tuning peg according to claim 6, in which the edge of the upper end of said chamber has a smoothly rounded portion to facilitate bending of the string as it enters said chamber.
 8. A tuning peg according to claim 6, in which said housing has an outwardly projecting flange at its outer end adapted to engage one surface of said peghead and over which the string can pass, said flange having at least one pinpoint protrusion for penetrating the peghead to prevent rotational movement between said housing and said peghead, said outer portion of said rod having an axially extending groove in its periphery for receiving the string so that when said outer portion is disposed in said central chamber, the string will extend through said groove.
 9. A tuning peg according to claim 6, in which said slot means in said outer portion comprises a first slot extending substantially perpendicular to said transverse hole and a second slot extending substantially perpendicular to said first slot.
 10. A tuniNg peg according to claim 6, in which said intermediate portion has an axially extending flat wall spaced from the wall of said chamber a distance greater than two thicknesses of the string. 